


it's what you answer to

by light_rises



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Autistic Frisk (Undertale), Deltarune References, Disabled Character, First Kiss, Friends With Benefits, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Transphobia, Mid-Canon, Name Changes, Other, Post-Canon, Selectively Mute Frisk (Undertale), Sharing a Body, Smooching, Teen Romance, Timeskip, deadnames
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-18
Updated: 2019-05-18
Packaged: 2020-03-07 14:10:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,001
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18874783
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/light_rises/pseuds/light_rises
Summary: "Frisk." "Frisk!" "Frisk."Every time someone says it is, like... it's a bell, ringing low and sonorous between your ears, deep in your chest. In agoodway. Chara would probably call this "resonance", if you asked them. You won't, but whether or not you've horribly misunderstood the term what it boils down to is that the name sings through you like itbelongs. It makes youhappy, and it was all an accident, and that's—it's sort of—that's a little bit terrifying, isn't it?Only a little, though, Chara points out.--A new friend facilitates a happy accident. Years later, he's told the truth.





	it's what you answer to

**Author's Note:**

  * For [feralphoenix](https://archiveofourown.org/users/feralphoenix/gifts).



> so a few weeks back feral came up with the base concept for this fic as a cool deltarune-adjacent headcanon, and we ended up chattering about it until she went "you know that one of us has to write this now, right"
> 
> i blinked first about a day later and now there's [gestures downward] _all this_... hopefully the end result is enjoyable, eheh

"'Frisk'? That's... a nice name."

It's a small shock to the system. That's the best way you can put it, for the feeling that crawls up and down your neck, spreads over the back of your head and through your chest when the name leaves his mouth. "Frisk". That... it wasn't—

You don't get a chance to say anything before Asriel repeats the name. With warmth, maybe... a little chagrin? You don't know, really. What's concrete is how it makes your heart turn over, then beat hard; it's not from the residual adrenaline snaking through your body, that you're sure of. Asriel keeps talking and it's important, but you're only half-listening at this point.

Chara notices what caught you short, too. It's an honest feat: ever since Asriel backed down from fighting you—well before that point, really—they've been a raw wound of emotion pressed against your consciousness, like someone who would crumple at the knees without support. It's miracle enough they've managed to keep you from flushing out the contents of their heart by proxy (you can still feel the threat of fat ugly tears pressing against your eyes, but that's it). Needless to say, you wouldn't blame Chara for not bothering with _your_ feelings right now, but they are anyway.

_That's..._ They pause, voice thin and wet as late fall leaves when they continue: _That isn't the name you gave him._

You have to stop yourself from shaking your actual head at them. _It's not_ , you say back.

You said your name was "Kris". You'd swear up and down that's what you told Asriel, but he either misheard or... honestly, you should've stuck to sign and fingerspelled it to cut out the ambiguity. Speaking aloud has earned you more than a few brushes with (human) people getting irritated and asking you to repeat yourself, because the words came out too creaky or quiet or indistinct.

But... that's not what's actually bothering you, if you could call the thing you're feeling "bothered". You should be—you don't know. Annoyed, or at least some degree of mortified if this misunderstanding _was_ your fault? Back on the surface, you'd worked so hard to pin down a version of your name that you could live with and that both your parents would sign off on _and_ (your criteria, no one else's) would give unfamiliar adults pause when reading it, a moment of wrong-footedness before they checked the gender marker to get their bearings back. "Kris" was hardwon, objectively speaking.

So... why do you feel like this? Shouldn't you at least _try_ to correct Asriel?

Chara says _Hey_ , softly; trails off like they were about to tell you something important and need to think it over before picking it up again. They don't though, not right away. You get why as you refocus on what Asriel's saying: Chara is drinking him in through your eyes and ears while they can, his words and face and gestures and ticks, like salve and salt alike poured on an open sore. You feel obligated to do the same, or at least the best you can as a bystander who knows what lies ahead for him.

(Although the more you watch, and despite everything, you have to admit: you can see a little of why he was the prince Chara had dared to entrust their very soul with, once upon a time.)

He keeps calling you "Frisk", again and again. By the time Asriel leaves you to the void and Chara and all your new friends, you've stopped really thinking about cutting him off at the pass. You drift, then wake up.

\--

It's not until later—in the middle of retracing your steps through the Underground on a vague quest commandeered by the player; touching base with everyone you've met, so many of them calling you "Frisk" as if it was something they should have known all along ( _thanks, Asriel???_ )—it's not until you're picking your way through the cooling fringes of Hotland and Chara has largely walled themself off in your head that the feeling starts to solidify into something you can wrap your head around.

"Frisk." "Frisk!" "Frisk."

Every time someone says it is, like... it's a bell, ringing low and sonorous between your ears, deep in your chest. In a _good_ way. Chara would probably call this "resonance", if you asked them. You won't, but whether or not you've horribly misunderstood the term what it boils down to is that the name sings through you like it _belongs_. It makes you _happy_ , and it was all an accident, and that's—it's sort of—that's a little bit terrifying, isn't it?

_Only a little, though_ , Chara points out.

You jolt to a stop—hand to chest, other hand jarred at the wrist as your walking stick shudders against the ground. They hadn't spoken a word to you for an extra long while.

Chara sighs and says, _Sorry_ , after a moment. They still sound brittle, in a dampened way that tells you they're probably acting a lot more pulled together than they feel. _I was... I didn't want to pounce on how you were feeling, or impose or end up dictating what you should do with it like a shithead. Least of all if it involved your name._ They pause for a bit. Then, almost wry, _You would have to kill me if I ever did that, FYI._

_I wouldn't know how even if I wanted to_ , you retort, like a smartass. Their snerk makes you think that was the right move; you could both use the levity. You still breathe very carefully before you continue: _Seriously, though... is this really okay? Maybe_ I'm _kind of okay with it, but I feel like I tricked everyone._

_What, because Asriel took some widespread mystical initiative you didn't ask for?_

You grimace. _Well..._

_Even if you_ had _done something wrong,_ they say, slower and less flippant, like they're gently gripping you by the hands, _that part of it can't and shouldn't be pinned on you, as far as I'm concerned. It's alright._

You deepen your frown, then think for a spell. You're starting to walk again (with a little more favor to your left side) when you say, _Since I came down here... he's the first person to ask for my name, isn't he? Aside from you._

_... Oh._ You feel like they would be blinking, if they could. _Huh._

_Did I remember wrong?_

_No, no, you're—I'm pretty sure you're right. That's... hm._

If Chara's having a reaction to this apart from "kind of poleaxed" and "stewing on it", it's inscrutable to you. So you do some stewing of your own and more walking until they add, with sudden softness, _He was right too, you know._

_About what?_

They hesitate for a beat. _"Frisk" being a nice name._

Your breath hitches, and you've stopped in your tracks again.

Maybe if this were a few days ago, you'd be embarrassed at how _Chara_ saying "Frisk"—with tender caution, like they want to be _absolutely sure_ this is alright with you—spreads warmth through your chest like honey, like sunshine or a hug in the dark. As if you were waiting on them specifically. Right now you don't fight it; you smile and squeeze your eyes shut, press your fingers to them as they burn at the corners.

_I think so too_ , you tell Chara, then inhale shakily. Your heart is pounding again, at a heightened clip. _I... I like it better than "Kris", actually. A lot better._

There's a long exhale in your head.

_Okay_ , Chara says. _Alright._ And... there's still so much _sadness_ weighing on them, it's impossible to ignore, but their presence sparks with affection and understanding, a residual gladness they don't care to hide from you. It brushes against your thoughts, fond like a kiss; you could bask in it forever, you think. _Then I guess it's safe to say: welcome to the club, Frisk._

You finally cry at that. Hard enough that you have to stay put and prop your back against the nearest wall for a few minutes. You get no indication that the player minds, much less Chara.

(Somewhere in the middle of this, in fact, Chara asks to take control of your arms. They're half-sheepish, not seeming to give a rip that your sleeves have gotten gross and sodden from wiping your face. That's how they give you the second hug you've had outside of a fight, since you left Toriel behind in the Ruins.)

\--

' _... So, long story short_ ,' you tell Asriel, to the tune of almost five years later, when you and he and Chara have been alive and about as well as could be expected for a while now, ' _you thought I said 'Frisk' when I introduced myself, and once I heard it from you it was, like, this genius moment of serendipity? Basically I loved it and I've been 'Frisk' because of you ever since!_ '

Grinning, you clap one hand then the other onto the handle of your quad cane and lean forward in your chair. The scene across the coffee table from you has a... slightly different energy: Asriel has gone stiff on the living room couch, gaping openly, paws still held aloft in service of Chara needing a makeshift yarn swift to help them ball up a hank. Chara for their part has slowed their winding to a crawl, eyes darting between you and Asriel and back again. The leg they have hooked over Asriel's right thigh starts up an antsy bounce.

Asriel tries to say something at least three times, face contorting impressively on the first go. Then he wheezes out a chuckle. "Ha! Y-you're joking, right?"

You frown at him, but Chara beats your hands to it.

"Of _course_ they aren't, you doofus." They give him a scowl and a harmless _thwap_ to the side of the head with their yarn ball, before huffing out a sigh. "Hand to heart," they say, doing just that, "I was there when it happened, and no, I have zero incentive to lie or gaslight you over something like this. That goes double for Frisk. This topic is a certified Prank-Free Zone."

"Okay okay, I get it! Sheesh." Asriel has his eye cinched shut on the side he was _thwap_ ed and he's pouting, but the slope to his shoulders makes it obvious he's feeling properly chastised. "You're right, Frisk's jokes aren't _that_ mean, it's just... this! It's a lot to take in all of a sudden, y'know?"

You rap your knuckles against the coffee table to make sure he and Chara are looking at you. ' _Also_ ,' you say, ' _to be_ completely _fair I did wait a long time to bring it up, sooo..._ ' You shrug. ' _I guess I can't blame you altogether for thinking it was a prank._ '

"Still... " Chara pauses, their brows and the corners of their mouth pinching down faintly as their eyes rove over you. "Frisk, you weren't obligated to disclose this any sooner than you wanted to, context be damned."

You smile at the thread of kindness in their voice. ' _I know_ ,' you reply. ' _And I really appreciate that you didn't say anything until I was ready. Even though it was, like, probably SUPER eating you up on the inside sometimes._ '

" _Only_ sometimes," they scoff. But they're smiling too, and you see their cheeks darken a couple shades as they add, "And, uh. You're welcome," after clearing their throat. With that they duck their head, redoubling their efforts to finish winding their yarn.

You should probably consider that Chara's signal for "I'm bowing out of the conversation btw", but you get distracted by watching them work. It's almost three years on and you _still_ can't get over seeing them in the flesh, emoting or speaking in a space that isn't your head or doing—to be honest it could be _anything_. From a distance, close enough to reach out and touch; it doesn't matter. Most of the time Chara's very existence makes you want to kiss them on the wrists and fingers and neck and mouth as often as they'd like, out of sheer happiness.

As you're realizing this is _definitely_ one of those times, Asriel brings you back to earth with a quiet "Oh no... " then a less-quiet moan. "That means—I. Back in the Underground, when I released all the souls—"

"Ah," says Chara, without looking up. "There it is."

" _Ohh._ Ohhhh that could've been _sooo bad_ if 'Frisk' wasn't a name you... " He pulls a face, then cranes back his neck until his head hits the wall behind him. "Chara—"

"Just a minute." They ramp up their winding to triple speed, until the hank is reduced to a few loops hanging off of Asriel's paws and it's safe for Chara to pull the yarn off. "There, you're free," they say, draping the loops across their lap. "Go ahead."

"Thank you." He proceeds to slap both paws to his face and moan again, longer, pitched up a couple octaves to boot. That's apparently Chara's cue to finish wrapping their ball and set it aside so they can clamber onto Asriel's lap, movements shameless and lithe as a cat (it's a newish habit of theirs, starting around the time they realized Asriel had _finally_ gained some height on them). They settle cross-legged onto his thighs, their back to his front, eyes on you and their brows raised as if to say _Well?_

You sigh. "Things turned out pretty much perfect, though," you say aloud, for Asriel's benefit. "If you look at it a certain way, you saved me the trouble of hustling around later on all 'WHOOPS lol I just realized that was my deadname?? Here's my real one, please and thanks.'"

"I mean, I _guess_ ," he says, through his teeth. It seems to dawn on him that Chara has started using him as a perch and he lowers one arm, tentative. He doesn't touch them until Chara gives him the go-ahead vis-à-vis taking his paw in their hand. "I know that changing names and getting everyone on board with it is this huge pain for a lot of humans, not to mention you guys," he continues, resting his and Chara's joined hands against the bottom of their ribcage. "And I hate the thought of... I dunno, contributing to that? I can't really appreciate how that's gotta feel, not when I had it so easy and got to change everything up when I was little without anyone getting on my case about it, and that's—"

" _Ree._ " Chara's tone is firm, stymying. It's just soft enough to miss the mark of reproachful, though. "It's not on you to apologize for your experiences or for monsterkind being goddamn _reasonable_ about this shit. What Frisk and I went through doesn't change that."

It's Asriel's turn to sigh, exhaustively. "Sorry. Sorry, you're right," he says. He finally tips his head forward so he's looking at you again. "I... I ended up making this all about me too, didn't I?"

' _You sure did!_ ' you say; not _wholly_ unkind, but not apologetic either. ' _Anyway, that's not here or there. I just wanted you to..._ ' You lower your hands for a moment and purse your lips until they almost hurt, rethinking how you want to phrase this. ' _I didn't want to leave you in the dark forever, is what it comes down to. When you called me 'Frisk', you wound up doing something really good and meaningful. I feel like you should know that._ '

Asriel doesn't blink at you, but the way he's staring back and works his lower jaw gives the same sort of puzzled impression. He breathes out eventually, while Chara gets more unreserved about listing against his chest and belly. "I'm... sorry. It just"—he swallows, scratches the back of his neck—"it feels weird to get credit for something I did by accident, is all."

' _That it's accidental doesn't make it count any less,_ ' you insist, just as your eye catches the empty space on the couch. You let your gaze rest there; let the ferrules of your cane tap the floor twice as well, before rising to your feet, careful and wincing for the first few steps as you navigate around the coffee table. The cushions are still a little bit warm from Chara's body heat when you plop down on them next to Asriel. ' _Do you want to know a secret?_ ' you ask him.

He cocks his head to the side. "Sure?"

' _Sometimes... I get to wondering if I ever would've come up with 'Frisk' on my own. It's not_ that _different from my last deadname, but... well._ ' You hitch on a crooked, worn smile. ' _'Frisk' isn't exactly a standard name, not in any human language I know about. I guess instead I might've just ended up reading the word somewhere or overhearing it and things would've clicked anyway?? Who knows._ ' You then make a point of reaching up, to take Asriel's free paw into your hands. The way your eyes meander up his arm and stop at his face as you do this is more... _appreciative_ , more lingering than usual. _Definitely_ more of both than you'd meant to do. He's as awkward and mid-morph between kid and young adult as the rest of you right now, but you'd have to work hard to deny that Asriel is—he's filling out. Getting handsome. Like, _really_ handsome.

You swallow discreetly. "But... the truth is, I spend a lot more time not caring about any of that," you say. "I'm really happy with how things turned out, because it means my name was something I chose for myself"—you give his paw a squeeze—" _and_ it was a gift from someone precious to me. You deserve the thanks, Asriel."

You don't expect him to respond right away. In fact, there's a beat or so where you worry that saying "deserve" was the wrong move—Asriel flinching away from the idea that he deserves nice things isn't uncommon, not in a world where he's been Flowey—but... if he has a guilt spiral building, he swallows it back. He averts his eyes and processes. Blushes hard enough to bleed through the fur on his cheeks, while he's at it.

When he finally laughs and smiles at you, your pulse stumbles for a much nicer reason than feeling like you've done something horribly wrong (god he's _cute_ , he can be a little jerky jerkface but he's _**cute**_ ). "G-golly. Well." He gives one of your hands a squeeze back. "Um. It doesn't feel like 'you're welcome' really covers it, so... could I say 'thank you' too?"

"I'll allow it," you say brightly, then on impulse bend to press your lips to his knuckles. His fur is at its shortest here, but it's still soft and tufted and smells like his favorite cranberry shampoo. Beneath all that he's so _warm_ you could—you, maybe kind of think that—

Your eyes fly open a split second before you decide to pull back. Ah.

Well.

Gently, you extract your hands from his paw. ' _Actually..._ ' you say, still talking to him but locking eyes with Chara (who's been a very polite spectator for the past few minutes),' _I think I've got something else for you._ ' It's all you can do to keep your poker face from slipping as you beckon Chara closer. They're game to cooperate, and you whisper what you have in mind once you have their ear.

When you finish, they lean away with a few blinks and their brows arched at you again. But there's no judgment in the look—some surprise at the most, you think. It softens into something a lot warmer right-quick. "I haven't changed my mind since the last time we discussed this, no," they say, with a half-smile. "By all means, go for it."

' _Your blessing is appreciated,_ ' you tell them, right as Asriel starts to chuckle and say, "Hee hee c'mon, what're you guys up to?" He gets his answer by means of you straightening your back and shifting until you're reasonably close to eye-level with him. As in: now you're right in his face. Nose-to-nose. Hands cupping his muzzle. You can't see past his eyes and the way they've exponentially widened from this angle, but he doesn't move or jerk away.

"Hi," you say.

"H-howdy," he says back.

You take the fact that he's not too flummoxed to talk as another good sign. You laugh once, softly. Give his nose a rub before tipping your chin up so you can kiss it too. After a couple seconds and before you can lose your nerve, you break contact and cant your head so you're free to sweep downward, to bring that kiss to his lips. You don't (you can't) fully _fully_ relax into it until he's kissing you back, with the shy gusto of someone who's been waiting a long time for this but still doesn't quite know what to do with the shape and smallness of human mouths.

This is _not_ like kissing Chara. But you came in expecting that, even if you could only imagine the particulars and inherent clumsiness of it until now, and it's okay. It's _very_ okay. Different is good.

You pull back first, and Asriel settles on regarding you dazedly for a couple moments. Then: " _Wowie._ " Followed by: "That... Frisk, that wasn't just about your name, was it."

' _It was partly._ ' You wink and deal him a cheeky fingergun. ' _You're cute and you're one of my best friends. Wanna be smooch buddies?_ '

Asriel's blush is downright _fierce_ and you're starting to wonder if it's magic or just The Power Of Fluster making it possible to see it at all. Your running theory is both. " _C-Chara..._ "

"You heard me, Asriel," they reply, and you're tickled to see that the smile they're giving him is flatout _smarmy_. God. You love them so much. "We don't have to leave further discussion of this at the proverbial door, of course. Just know that I, for one, approve and don't feel impinged upon." They turn over the paw they've been holding and press a soft kiss to his palm. "As you might be aware, I've already learned a thing or two about sharing," they add, tone droll.

Asriel has composed himself well enough to snort at them. "If you'd waggled your eyebrows while saying that I would've had to shove you off."

"It's not too late for that, babe." And then Chara tempts fate by waggling away, albeit while twisting around and crawling up his front. The two of them make a weak show of tussling for, like, ten seconds before the pretense collapses into laughter and Chara peppering kisses along Asriel's jaw as he tries to find a window to reciprocate. You lean away and sigh indulgently. It's not often they get this far into the day without making out, so honestly? About damn time.

Before you can count yourself out and begin the process of scooting from the room, Chara and Asriel take a long enough break from each other to call your name. Stretch their arms toward you too, all bright impish smiles. You giggle and let yourself get reeled in, in lieu of... actually, you wouldn't have protested or even feigned it. There's schoolwork and the ever-present weight of world politics to consider, but you've already paid so many dues to both this week. Asriel too, along with Chara by sheer dint of being in his and your orbit. There's _some_ room to set all that aside, at least until it's dinnertime and Toriel has to gently corral the three of you to the dining room table.

For the two people who love and know you best, and for yourself—for the simple joy of being you, name and all, just as ever—the rest of the world can wait one afternoon. That you couldn't be more certain of.

**Author's Note:**

> (a quick note for extra clarity: in my version of the post-canon Everyone Lives timeline, chara and asriel aren't revived until two years after the game ends. so frisk referring to "almost three years on" when talking about chara in the last scene isn't a continuity goof, aha)


End file.
